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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515769">Valentine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionCohen/pseuds/OrionCohen'>OrionCohen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ender's Game - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Ender's Game Fusion, Battle School (Ender's Game), Gen, Locke and demosthenes, Valentine Wiggin - Freeform, Valentine misses Ender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:20:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515769</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionCohen/pseuds/OrionCohen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU in which Valentine stays on Earth after the Formic War. There will be more chapters.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ender Wiggin &amp; Valentine Wiggin, Peter Wiggin/Valentine Wiggin, the Wiggin Children</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Valentine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>E,<br/>
We both know I have enough connections to have been able to go with you. I want to explain why I chose not to. I have spent the last 7 years watching He Who Shall Not Be Named grow in power and influence. He’s gotten tamer, less violent, and a lot lot stronger. He’s going to rule the world, I’m certain. When he does, I need to be here. I need to be his moral restraint.<br/>
Now that we have that out of the way: What’s up, buttercup? What’s life on a colony ship like? Does the ship you’re on shoot lasers?<br/>
Since you’re such a doll, I know you’ll be wondering how I’ve been. I’m okay. As I’m sure you’ve learned, being powerful isn’t always as fun as it sounds, but I do like writing the essays, even if I don’t always love what they say. I hope all is well with you. And please write a letter to the parental units as well, it’d mean the world to them.<br/>
Your favorite sister,<br/>
V</p><p>What’s Ender doing right now?<br/>
It was something Valentine had wondered a lot over the past 7 years. Sometimes passively, other times with such intensity that it brought her to tears. After Ender left, she included it in every letter she wrote to him.<br/>
“What is Battle School like?”<br/>
“How have you been spending time in Battle School?”<br/>
“What’s a day like for you now?”<br/>
When letter after letter went unanswered, for reasons that she now knew had nothing to do with Ender not wanting to respond, she began looking for other ways to find out. She scoured the nets looking for information on how children in Battle School spend their time, what they study, what the structure of the school is like, how they spend their free time, what their schedule is. She couldn’t find anything with her citizen access. After she became Demosthenes it took everything in her not to ask her considerably influential contacts what children in Battle School do all day. She couldn’t risk the slight tip of her hand such a question would create.<br/>
When finally she saw Ender again, at the lake, he looked so broken from his years in Battle School that Valentine didn’t dare to ask what his time there was like, didn’t dare to bring back the likely very traumatic memories.<br/>
One day, she figured, I’ll see him again. And he’ll tell me all about what his life was like in Battle School and I’ll tell him all about my life here on Earth. But then Ender couldn’t come back to Earth, and she while she knew she could have gone with him, she chose not to.<br/>
It killed Valentine, letting Ender’s colony ship leave without her, but she knew it was the right choice. Earth was changing, Peter’s time was coming, and while she resented it, she knew he often relied on her to do more than write Demosthenes’ essays. Valentine acted as the angel on Peter’s shoulder, whispering the right thing to do in his ear. He didn’t always listen to her, but Valentine shuddered to think what he would do if he didn’t have her input at all.<br/>
What is Ender doing right now?<br/>
Maybe he’s sleeping, or eating. Maybe he’s taking a shower or reading a book. Maybe he’s being hurt, maybe he’s making a friend, maybe he’s missing his big sister. There was no way for Valentine to know.<br/>
She checked her email again, there was no response.<br/>
She waited about a month after his ship left to send her first email, that had been 4 months ago, for Ender, she knew it had likely only felt like a couple days. She knew that he was likely busy and would get back to her before too long. But before too long for him was far too long for her.<br/>
“When I become Hegemon” Peter said one day “I’ll give you access to the ansible”<br/>
Valentine didn’t know what an ansible was, but hated admitting to Peter whenever he knew something she didn’t. Apparently she didn’t do a very good job of hiding her ignorance, because he followed up “The ansible is an instant communication device, let’s you communicate at faster than light speeds. There’s one in every IF colony ship and there’s one in the Hegemon’s office. I know you miss him. I know you gave up the chance to be with him to stay here and do this with me.” The realization of what Peter was saying slammed into Valentine like a truck: Before too long, she’d be able to talk to Ender in real time.<br/>
She mumbled a “thanks” then ran inside before Peter could notice the tears in her eyes.</p>
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